The microneedle patch developed by Dr. Zhen Gu and his research team now has a new application: delivering fat-fighting therapies. Zhen and his team have created a patch-based method by which energy-storing white fat is transformed into energy-burning brown fat, therefore raising the body’s overall metabolism. Although the anti-obesity patch has not been tested on humans yet, it has delivered promising results during the animal testing phase: overweight mice with the therapy-laden patch applied saw a 20% reduction in fat at the treated site. The patch, therefore, could have fantastic implications for fighting obesity and other metabolic-related disorders.
The study, titled “Locally-Induced Adipose Tissue Browning by Microneedle Patch for Obesity Treatment,” is available to read at ACS Nano. It has also been covered by AAAS EurekAlert! and UNC Healthcare News.
Congratulations to Zhen, Li Qiang (study co-leader, Columbia University), and the entire research team!